May festival

As one of iGEMers’ classical activities, our lab is open to public at one weekend in May. 18th, we welcomed 18 groups of high school students and 11 groups of school students. We welcomed over 500 normal. In order to show our lab work and popularize synthetic biology, we rearranged our lab and created several kids’ games about iGEM.

Blowing the gloves? Are you kidding? It comes true in USTC iGEM’s lab! DIY+gloves=amazing! Who say that we just have machine and reagents here? Welcome to USTC iGEM’s lab 363! What we have created is far more than fairytales!

Super-taster

Biosensor has been a classical topic in iGEM and Synthetic Biology. Many biosensor cases have been known by public, for example, detecting pollutants in the environment, Fluorescent coloring. So, biosensor is a good example to explain the idea of iGEM. USTC iGEMers are always devoted into popularizing synthetic biology. After last year’s Hefei Genetically Modified (GM) Knowledge Competition, we host an activity named ”Super Taster”, in order to recruit more people to take a brief glance at iGEM. Are we better taster than engineered bacterial? We provided others a chance to see and feel “biosensor”. Come on! Join us!

Lecture

As the most classical way to display, the lecture is indispensable! To meet different people’s need, we use 3D film to show the world inside the cell, and we also show them one of our iGEM team’s clay movie, so that children can also understand iGEM. Of course, our own propaganda video was also shown. Here we would like to thank USTC Alumni Foundation, for helping us make an elegant propaganda video!

Device

Our device for storing and activating T-Vaccine patches.

We designed a “Bacteria Box” as our assistance device for instant production. Covered with sterile membrane, the box contains dry powder of engineering bacteria and dehydrated medium, and once adequate water is added, the bacteria will be activated and ready to produce. Then we further enhance the device and invent the new double-layer device “Bacteria Box II”, in which the dehydrated medium and bacteria are stored at different layers. All we are required to do is to extract the division plate between layers and the bacteria and medium will naturally mix up. Compared with the former one, the bacteria and medium are separated, thus facilitating transportation and avoiding potential contamination.